Live Report - Australia look to build lead after England rearguard

Cameron Green is averaging 21.00 since his mammoth 174 not out against New Zealand at Wellington in February 2024.

The 14 innings since have seen just a single half-century. The last two - knocking a leg stump half-volley to midwicket, and here edging a drive ball - have been particularly worrying from an Australian perspective. The Four Million Dollar is looking more like six-figures with the bat.

Picking up after the break, the onus on Will Jacks was to keep things relatively tight. A drag down, followed by two full balls down the leg side that were swept away, brought Usman Khawaja 10 runs to kick off his session.

Jacks, as we all know, is a part-time spinner. Or to put it favourably on his behalf, a batting allrounder. And while he has been included in the last two XIs because he could, well, make up the drop-off in his bowling with runs, things have not quite panned out in that manner.

His 2 for 105 from 20 overs in the first innings meant he was in arrears when managing just 6 with the bat. But just as it looked like he was heading for further debt, another drag-down was edged through to Jamie Smith. Usman Khawaja was the guilty man, shaking his head while leaning over his bat, wondering how on earth he did not slap that to the point boundary.

Just like that, England have 2 in 11 legal deliveries, after Cameron Green - who was given a wide short ball by Jacks to get off a pair - edged Tongue to Brook at a wide second slip.

After walking a couple of singles, Travis Head finally breaks into a job - straight to tea.

He's had a lovely old session, tucking runs about - some skewed through and beyond the cordon - before launching Brydon Carse for six over deep backward square leg (and Ollie Pope).

Ben Stokes had decided to go at Head with the bumper ploy, as they did pretty much throughout the 2023 Ashes. Head was wise to it, not just with the larrup but a few shifts to the off side followed by a duck that ended the middle session.

All in all, a close to perfect 26 overs before lunch and tea for Australia - 102 scored for the loss of Laubschagne. Head and Khawaja have out on 66 together, with 31 milked from Will Jacks' seven overs so far.

Will we see Stokes bowling after the break?

Another score of note for the people's champion. His fifth boundary, thumped through midwicket off the returning Brydon Carse, taking him to a 31st fifty-plus score from 73 deliveries.

It has been a clinic in, well, batting. England have operated with deep fielders in Head's scoring positions square of the wicket, with square leg, midwicket and, of course, deep point. And yet the left-hander has scored freely, happy to take the singles on offer, even deciding late when to pocket them, with a delayed open faces into drives off the back foot.

Prior to Tongue being removed from the attack, England reinforced the off-side field - 7-2, cover packed, as above - and Head was still able to crunch through the smallest gap, all along the floor, to the fence.

Having broken English hearts in a hurry on the second day of this Ashes series with a 69-ball hundred, he is taking his time on ninth to do the same once and for all.

That type of innings as a whole, and that mode of dismissal, was what led to Marnus Labuschagne’s axing from the Test team in the middle of 2025. A distinct lack of intent, looking only to defend and leave, and getting into square-on positions on the crease are the exact things that Labuschagne, head coach Andrew McDonald, batting coach Michael Di Venuto and the selectors had been trying to get him away from after sitting him from the West Indies series.

The axing, and subsequent work with Di Venuto during that tour - getting back to the side-on positions he had grooved during his best period in Test cricket in 2019-20 - seemed to have the desired results. Five domestic centuries across two formats in the lead-in to the Ashes saw him recalled to No.3.

He played fluently to post an unbeaten half-century in Perth, riding on the coat tails of Travis Head, and his 65 in Brisbane looked like Labuschagne back to his best. However, a wasteful dismissal meant an opportunity for a drought-breaking century was missed.

A low score in the second when batting under lights with nothing to gain would only have reinforced what he missed out on in the first. Then, a really soft dismissal after lunch on day one for 19 off 40 put him in a position in the second where he looked like he was once again batting not to fail.

But fail he did. He nicked off twice, surviving the first because it didn’t carry to the keeper but not the second. There was no busyness, no intent. He was consistently squared up and beaten regularly as a result. The ball he got was a good one from Josh Tongue. But it was not as good as he made it look.

A better version of Labuschagne would have defended that in a strong side-on position, potentially even dropping it at his feet for a single. Instead, he nicked to fall for a torturous 13 off 45 and both he and Australia’s hierarchy find themselves back where they were six months ago, wondering where his next Test century is coming from.

His last one, 37 innings and two-and-a-half years ago, is disappearing further in the rear vision mirror.

A low catch that has been given out! A rarity in this Test, but as clean as you like from Harry Brook, stooping low to claim an edge off Marnus Labuschagne.

Excellent bowling from Josh Tongue, who had replaced Jofra Archer at the Cathedral End. An expensive start saw his first two overs go for 11, but he's found his rhythm and, have a muted caught behind appeal the ball before, gets a similar delivery - piston-ed in, moving away off the surface into an angled bat - to count.

Of course, the standing umpires opt to review the catch. Chris Gaffaney does the rest. After drinks, England have reinforced their cordon with Joe Root - who was warming up for some spin of his own - coming backing first, with Brook moving to second.

Usman Khawaja, the new batter, gets a wide one to cut away to the boundary for his first runs.

Two calls of caught behind off Marnus Labuschagne (on 4 and 8), both from Brydon Carse, both taken by Jamie Smith. Both not given, and both correct.

The first, as Brydon Carse came around the wicket with one full, did catch a sliver of an outside edge. Smith, diving forward, took the ball but was sheepish from getting up to the moment Carse and Ben Stokes looked over at him, enquiring about the cleanliness of the gather. Smith suggested it hadn't, but the umpires reviewed this themselves to officially rule it out.

The next one had no edge but did look convincing on first watch. Smith, however, was uncertain, the only one behind the wicket not going up with the appeal. Umpire Ahsan Raza gave it not out, and at the last second, Stokes went for the review. Snicko - I know, I know - deemed no edge. Daylight seen, too.

As these last 10 minutes prove, Smith would be a popular poker opponent, given his clear body language when dealt a bad hand. You could argue he should have been both more enthusiastic with appeals for both - after all, he is a wicketkeeper - and firmer to deter the use of the review. Then again, he does have Harry Brook, the vice-captain next to him at slip. Perhaps he should have taken the initiative.

All in all, a solid morning for England. The addition of 73 runs across the last two stands lifted their first innings to 286. Collectively, woefully inadequate, but enough nourishment for the time being. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer combined for a crucial 61 this morning as part of their 106-run partnership.

England can also claim the min-session with the dismissal of Jake Weatherald, trapped LBW by Brydon Carse despite the ball clearly pitching outside leg stump. An error from Umpire Ahsan Raza and Travis Head, who discouraged his best mate from reviewing the decision.

Marnus Labuschagne has arrived and looked tidy, and will lunch on 4* eyeing up seeing the day through. Head, on 5*, has some apologising to do.

Huge breakthrough for England in this tricky 20-minute period before lunch.

Brydon Carse, wayward in the first innings, and far too short, pitches it up into the pads of Jake Weatherald and gets the finger raise from umpire Ahsan Raza. Weatherald, after a short discussion with Travis Head, walks off.

However... HawkEye shows that the ball actually pitched outside leg stump. It's a poor decision from the umpire... but why did Head not encourage him to have a look??

The average second innings score from the three red-ball first-class games at Adelaide Oval this year has been 389, with the lowest total being 343 for 9 declared. All three teams batting second have won.

There might be questions about Australia's ability to finish that innings off but in truth that is an outstanding bowling performance. No dropped catches. No wayward spells.

Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer had to work exceptionally hard to get the deficit under 100. That is a valuable lead for Australia. No excuses not to bat big over the next three-to-four sessions and set England 450 plus to win.

Scott Boland is introduced from the City End and strikes with his second ball! An enticing full delivery that nips away at the last moment catches a thick edge from Jofra Archer and nestles into the midriff of Marnus Labuschagne.

Archer is annoyed, gone for 51 after what looked a promisingly awkward partnership with Josh Tongue. But he has done exceedingly well to ensure Australia's overnight lead has been cut from 158 to 85.

The fact that both batters scampered off reflects the fact their real work starts now with the ball. It will also be interesting to see how much Ben Stokes can bowl. Joe Root, by the way, is warming up on the side-pitch, with Will Jacks and Brydon Carse. Root has only sent down one over in the series so far.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jofra Archer has his maiden Test fifty in his 28th innings.

It is only his seventh first-class half century, and first since 2017! That summer, he struck five for Sussex, the last of them coming against Nottinghamshire on a Hove flattie in September.

The five fours and one six among the 97 deliveries have been crispy, even the open-faced guide out to deep point had a pleasing level of panache. He rounded the stumps at the nonstriker’s end upon completing that single, saluting the crowd and the dressing room before Ben Stokes wound up and planted an emphatic fist-bump on his partner.

It was about this time yesterday that they were having a heated conversation about bowling straight after Archer had dismissed Mitchell Starc. There were amicable undertones there between two players who know each other very well. The beaming smile on Stokes’ face just now said all you need to know about how highly he regards prized quick.

The last player to take five-wickets and register a fifty for England? Stokes against India earlier this year…

And Stokes now been bowled by Starc for 83! The defiant ninth-wicket stand ends on 106. England 274 for 9, trailing by 97. All yours, Jofra...

A moral victory for England (genuinely, look it up), as Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer take Australia through to the 80th over of the innings.

It means the hosts have the option of calling the new ball, which they do so immediately. Mitchell Starc gets dibs, and almost takes out Archer's off stump with a full, swinging delivery that entices a drive and flies off the surface between bat and pad, just over the top.

Unsurprisingly, Pat Cummins wants a go with it, around the wicket to Stokes from the City End. A scuttler that beats Stokes - and wicketkeeper Alex Carey - gives the series just its third 100-stand from either team.

After a controversial couple of days (weeks), this is an intriguing development...

Ben Stokes’ 41st fifty-or-more score comes with a controlled dab off Scott Boland in front of gully. The 159th deliveries taken makes it his slowest in Tests.

It’s the seventh time Stokes has recorded consecutive fifties. Predictably, there is only a hint of celebration. To echo Kobe Bryant, job’s not finished.

A long way from being finished, of course. But fair play to the England captain and especially Jofra Archer at the other end, who has shown remarkable application given his previous exploits. Those who have watched Archer bat across formats will know he used to treat batting like a bit of fun.

It is hard to pinpoint when exactly he began taking it seriously. But in 2023, as he underwent parts of injury rehabilitation in Barbados, he began sending clips of his club batting exploits to managing director Rob Key, joking (we think) that he was turning himself into a proper allrounder. He now insists he has the wares to bat seven.

The 30-year old has already played out a maiden against Nathan Lyon… and has now clobbered him over long on, where Cameron Green was lurking, for England’s first straight six!

His two highest scores in Test cricket have now come in the last two matches, and has now been involved in two of England's five highest partnerships of the series.

This ninth-wicket stand - now the biggest of the innings - is only the second time Archer has batted with Stokes. The last time?

Headingley 2019...